Exercising machine



March 6, 1934. J. B. HARRISON EXERCISING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1932INVENTOR.

B 2 Z a Z ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6Claims.

My invention relates to exercising machines and particularly to a noveltype of exercising machine so constructed and arranged that in its useall the bodily muscles are developed at J the same time, and in whichthe extent of the exercise of the various muscles can be controlled bythe person using the machine.

Rowing machines in which the person exercising sits in a slidingcarriage, and in which the arm and leg muscles are developed by goingthrough the ordinary motions of rowing, are old and well known. In theuse of rowing machines ordinarily the arm muscles may be tensioned andflexed and the leg muscles tensioned and flexed in only set ofexercising movements.

It is the object of my invention to provide an exercising machine inwhich the person using it assumes such a position that regardless ofwhat muscles they desire to exercise, there is a 223 correspondingdevelopment of practically all the other muscles of the body, togetherwith the op portunity for complete relaxation between bodily movements.

It is further an object of my invention to prow' vide a machine whichcan be used to develop the muscles, for example, of one leg or one armwithout it being necessary to unduly strain the muscles of the other legor arm.

It is an object of my invention to provide an e3 exercising machine inwhich the person exercising normally lies on his back, so that inaddition to the flexing of the muscles in the movement of the variousmembers of the body there is a tendency to stretch the arms and legs andto 35 develop chest expansion, due to the position which the personexercising assumes on the machine.

Another object of my invention is to provide an exercising machine onwhich one can get as vigorous exercise as they desire in a remarkablyshort time, and in one series of muscular movement secure as muchdevelopment as would require the long use of different types ofexercising machines.

45 structurally it is my object to provide a frame for supporting asliding carriage which will be adjustable so that it may be folded uplike a cot, and which will also have tension members which may beadjusted for use by persons of 50 different height or different muscularstrength.

Referring to the drawing:--

Figure l is a side elevation of the exercising machine showing animaginary user in the position normally assumed in the use of the ma- 55chine.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken along the lines 2, 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows one type of resilient muscle-tensioning member. n

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a strap for quick-- 1y securing the feetin exercising position in the machine.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the machine with the tensioning membersremoved so that the construction of the framework can be more readilyunderstood.

Referring first to Fig. 5, I have shown the channel members 1 providedwith channel legs 2 which, as indicated, are pivoted at 3 and have Pstraps 4 pivoted at 5, to the members 2, and with openings 6 at theirends, which may be secured over studs '1 in the sides of the channels 1,thus holding the frame in solid position on the floor.

An elongated pad member has a plate 8, having a padded cushion-likesupport 9 thereon. Channel members 10 secured at the sides of the plate8 journal caster wheels 11, and outwardly turned flanges l2 interlockunderneath the top flanges of the channel members 1 so that when thecarriage is mounted in position on the frame 83 it will be free to slidelengthwise, but will be restrained from widthwise motion, or fromtipping over when the person using the machine sits on the side of thepad.

End bars 13 have upturned outer end portions 35 14, which are joinedtogether by cross bars 15. The bars 13 are held in adjustable positionby means of plates 16, having threaded studs 17, which may be clampeddown by means. of wing nuts 18. Thus the attaching devices comprisingthese members 13, 14 and 15 may be extended out from the main frame andadjust for different sized persons or degrees of tension to the tensionmembers for the same person, which will now be described. 9a

A preferred type of tension member consists of springs 19, 19a, havingclips 20 at their ends which are secured in apertures 21 in the pieces15.

Figure 3 shows the resilient members 19 pro vided with hand holdingpieces 21. Figure 4 13m shows a foot strap piece 22 whi h, as indicated,is secured at the end of the spring member 19a.

In using the exerciser, the person assumes a position lying down withthe back on the pad 9.

Assuming that it is desired to exercise one arm vigorously and the otherarm and the legs less vigorously, by flexing the right arm the spring19, of which the handle 21 is in the right hand, will be expanded. Thiswill cause the carriage to move toward the support for the spring 19.

At the same time the springs 19a, holding the foot straps 22, are placedunder tension so that the muscles of the legs are also placed under apulling tension. At the same time the abdominal muscles, the hip musclesand the muscles of the chest are brought into play, so that regardlessof how strenuously the right arm is exercised, all the other bodymuscles are exercised at the same time. This is, of course, due to thefact that the carriage rolls back and forth on its rolling support, andas the exerciser pulls the right arm up the carriage bearing the weightof the body tensions the springs to which the feet and the other arm aresecured.

If the person exercising, while holding the spring members, attempts tosit up, the carriage again moves slowly forward, causing tension on theabdominal muscles and also on the leg muscles.

By bringing up the knees in sequence, first one and then the other, andat the same time bringing up first one arm and then the other, amovement similar to that which one takes when running is obtained.

Boxers and prizefighters who have trained on my machine explain that infive minutes time, using the running movement, their muscles are as wellexercised as in running for many miles.

For some reason, when the arms and legs are flexed in pulling in on theresilient members,

the complete relaxation and the stretching tendency to all the bodymuscles between exercising movements prevents a. period of extremefatigue after using the machine, so that while four or five minutes ofextreme exercise causes considerable fatigue, the fatigue disappearsvery quickly after the person exercising discontinues his exercise, andthe efficiency of the exercise is thereby greatly increased.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In an exercising machine, a support, a body carrier movablelengthwise of the support, attaching devices fixed near opposite ends ofsaid support substantial distances out from the limits of travel of thecarrier, a pair of hand engaging means near one end of said support, apair of foot connecting means near the opposite end of said support, andconnections, one from each hand engaging means and one from each footconnecting means to the adjacent attaching device, said connectionsextending inwardly toward and being yieldable inwardly toward said bodycarrier, for the purposes setforth.

2. In an exercising machine, a support, a body carrier movablelengthwise of the support, attaching devices fixed near opposite ends ofsaid support substantial distances out from the limits of travel of thecarrier and extending transversely of the machine, a pair of handengaging means near one end of said support, a pair of foot connectingmeans near the opposite end of said support, and connections, one fromeach hand engaging means and one from each foot connecting means to arespective one of two transversely spaced portions of the adjacentattaching device, said connections extending inwardly toward and beingyieldable inwardly toward said body carrier, for the purposes set forth.

3. In an exercising machine, a support, a body carrier movablelengthwise of the support, at-

taching devices fixed near opposite ends of said support substantialdistances out from the limits of travel of the carrier and extending uptherefrom above the top plane of the carrier, a pair of hand engagingmeans near one end of said support, a pair of foot connecting means nearthe opposite end of said support, and connections, one from each handengaging means and one from each foot connecting means to the adjacentattachment device above said plane, said connections extending inwardlytoward and being yieldable inwardly toward said body carrier, for thepurposes set forth.

4. In an exercising machine, a support, a body carrier movablelengthwise of the support, attaching devices each comprising a pair ofbars straddling the support near each end of the support and extendingout past the respective ends, clamps releasably clamping said bars tosaid support for adjustment of the bars to greater or less extension ofthe bars from the support, a pair of hand engaging means near one end ofsaid support, a pair of foot connecting means near the opposite end ofsaid support, and connections, one from each hand engaging means and onefrom each foot connecting means to the outer portion of the adjacentattaching device, said connections being yieldable inwardly toward saidbody carrier, for the purposes set forth.

5. In an exercising machine, a support, a body carrier movablelengthwise of the support, attaching devices each comprising apair ofbars straddling the support near each end of the support and extendingout past the respective ends, clamps releasably clamping said bars tosaid support for adjustment of the bars to a greater or less extensionof the bars from the support, and transverse bars connecting the outerend portions of the bars of the respective attaching devices, a pair ofhand engaging means near one end of said support, a pair of footconnecting means near the opposite end of said support, and connections,one from each hand engaging means and one from each foot connectingmeans to a respective one of two transversely spaced portions of thetransverse bar of the adjacent attaching device, said connections beingyieldable inwardly toward said body carrier, for the purposes set forth.

6. In an exercising machine, a support, a body carrier movablelengthwise of the support, attaching devices each comprising a pair ofbars straddling the support near each end of the support and extendingout past the respective ends, clamps releasably clamping said bars tosaid support for adjustment of the bars to a greater or less extensionof the bars from the support, said bars having upturned outer endportions extending above the top plane of said carrier, and transversebars connecting the upturned outer end portions of the bars of therespective attaching devices, a pair of hand engaging means near one endof said support, a pair of foot connecting means near the opposite endof said support, and connections, one from each hand engaging means andone from each foot connecting means to respective one of twotransversely spaced portions of the transverse bar of the adjacentattaching device, said connections being yieldable inwardly toward saidbody carrier, for the purposes set forth.

JAMES B. HARRISON.

